Regenerator



March 4, 1924; 1,485,770

B. E. 1.. DE MARI-f REGENERATOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 20 1922 INVENTOR flea. :1, A WW M WIA'WWPL/ B. E. L. DE MARE March 4:, 1924;

REGENERATOR 20. 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed lylaroh INVENTOR Mmh 4, 1924; 1,485,770

B. E. L. DE MARE REGENERATOR Filed March 20, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Federated Mar. 4, i924.

'EALTZAR E. L. Dr: MARE, F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA- REGENERATOR.

Application filed march 20, 1922. Serial No. 545,181.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BALTZAR E. L. on Maui, a citizen of the United States, and a resident. of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Regenerators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The present invention relates to regenerators, and more particularly to the combination of regenerators with a furnace, and also ports. Moreover, since each end of the fur-- nace must be used both as an inlet and as an outlet, the ports are designed for a double function, and are therefore in the nature of a compromise and cannot be designed for the single purpose of mixing the air and gas or for efliciently handling the products of combustion.

These disadvantages in furnace construction and operation are overcome in accordance with one feature of my invention, by making the combustion in the furnace unidirectional; that is to say, the air and the fuel are always admitted at one end of the furnace through ports which can be designed for the single purpose'of securing the most efficient combustion, and the heated products of combustion always pass out from the opposite end of the furnace through an outlet which may be designed to most efficiently take care of them. The regenerators instead of being permanently I connected with the ends of the furnace, are

arranged so that they may be periodically interchanged, whereby the products of combustion may pass, through and heat one regenerator while the air is being preheated in the other regenerator, and then the regenerators may be interchanged, this operation being repeated to complete the cycles of regenerative operation.

shown.

Other features of the invention relate to certain combinations and arrangements of parts and their operation, as hereinafter de-' scribed and more particularly pointed out in to the claims, the advantages of which will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description.

The invention is illustrated as applied to a regenerative open hearth steel furnace, alas though the invention is not so limited but may be applied to other types of furnaces employing regeneration. In the illustrated embodiment,.the furnaceis shown as being provided with regenerators for preheating both the air and the gas, as is the usual practice, especially where producer gas is emw 4 ployed for the fuel, four regenerators being In cases where the air only is to be preheated, as in the case of liquid or powdered fuel or gases not requiring preheating, two regenerators only need be employed.

In the drawings, which illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention as embodied in a gas fired open hearth furnace roquiring preheating of both the air and the gas,

Figure 1 is a horizontal section through the regenerators and furnace, taken along the section lines II of Figures 2 and 7 Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section through the regenerators along the, line H-H of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is another enlarged vertical section through the regenerators taken along the line Ill-Jill of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectionthrough the furnace taken along the line IV-IV of Figure 5;

Figure 5 tion through the furnace taken along the line V-V of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a detail view showing the operating mechanism for the collars on the stationary flue ports; I not Figure 7 is a vertical section through the slag pockets. along the line Vlll[-Vllll of, Figure 5;

Figure 8 is a vertical section through one of. the regenerator ports; and ice Figure 9 is a detail view showing one of the movable collars for making a substan tially leak-proof connection at the regenerator ports. j J

In the embodiment of the invention .il- 1M lustrated in the drawings, the furnace, indicated generally by reference neral l,

is a vertical longitudinal secas is shown as an open hearth steel furnace having the usual hearth 2 for holding-the bath ofmolten metal. The air and gas are admitted through air and gas ports 3, and 4,.respectively. The products of combustion pass out through an outlet port down into a slag pocket 6,. and thence into an auxiliary slag pocket 7. The furnace has a unidirectional combustion, the air and gas being always admitted through the ports 3 and 4: at one end of the furnace, which may be designed to secure the most etlicient and properly localized combustion. Since the products of combustion always leave through the port 5 at the oppositeof any kind and with a sloping bulk-head that may be easily kept in repair without the aid of water cooling, by keeping it covered with a mixture of magnesite and chrome ore which stands up well against the fluxing action of the outgoing gases and may be kept in repair with a minimum amount of trouble and expense. Since there is only one outlet for the products of combustion, the slag pockets may be reduced to a single pocket as contrasted with the use of tour pockets in the ordinary open hearth practice. This single slag pocket, on account of the reduced amount of fluxing, does not fill up as fast. Moreover, it is kept continuously at a-tairly even temperature so that the slag may be readily drained therefrom.

The unidirectional flow of the combustion through the. furnace, combined with the v advantages of regeneration, is secured by the arrangement of interchanging the re-- generators. The regenerators. which are four in number in the illustrated case where the gas is to be preheated as well as the air, are indicated by reference numerals 11, 12, 13 and 14. These regenerators are formed of the usual brick checkerwork and are contained within four regenerative chambersfwhich in turn are enclosed in a circular casing 15. The circular casing15 is formed of a metal sheath 16 in which are formed the refractory lining 17 and parti-' tions 18 which divide the interior of the casing into four regenerative chambers.

lining 17 and metal sheath 16 of the re- The outlet, as shown, may be simply a large hole without obstructions t eatre generator casing. The regenerator 11 has the ports 20 and 21: the regenerator 12 has the ports 22 and 23; the regenerator 13 has the ports 2-1 and 25; and the regenerator 14 has the ports 26 and 27. As shown particularly in Figure 1 of the draw ings, theports 20, 22, 25 and 27 are formed through the upper part of the regenerator casing and communicate with the spaces 28 above the brick checkerwork 29. The ports 21, 23, 2t and 26 are formed through the lower part of the regenerator casing and comn'iunicate with the spaces 30 beneath the checkerwork The regenerators and their casing are mounted to rotate like a turntable. A convenient way of so mounting the regenerator casing is illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawing, and consists of a central roller bearing 31 and a ball bearing 32 around the lower edge of the regenerator casing. The regenerator casing is reversed in position by means of a pinion 33 meshing with a rack 34 on the regenerator casing. The pinion may be driven by any suitable means, such. for example, as an electric motor, to turn the regenerators.

Eight stationary ports, indicated by refer. ence numerals 40, 41,- 42, 4:3, 14, 45, 4:6 and 47, are disposed around the periphery of the regenerator casing and are arranged toregister with the regenerator ports 20,27. A connection which is substantially or sufiiciently leak-proof for practical purposes, is tor-med between the regenerator ports and the stationary ports by the mechanism illustrated in Figures 1, 6,8, and 9. Each regenerator port which is indicated by the letter A in Figure 8 has formed around it an iron ring 18 having a peripheral groove in which is placed an asbestos packing ring C. Each of the stationary ports indicated in Figure 8 by the reference'letter D, is provided .with a collar E, which may be projected against the asbestos packing ring C when the gas, air or products of combustion pass throughthe por't,.but which may be withdrawn to permit the regenerator casing to be turned when the. regenerators are interchanged in position. The ring E is provided with a water cooling passage E which extends around it, and with connections G for supplying cooling water. The ring E is rotatably mounted on a water cooled collar H, whichjs mounted on the metal sheath T of the stationary port D. The collar H has a plurality of pins J which project through cam grooves K in the ring E. As can readily be seen, when the ring E is turned .in one direction the pins J and caries K force itagainst the packing ring C, and when turned in the other direction itis withdrawn.

For the purpose of operating the rings E they are-provided with ears L which are connected by chains M to a yoke N-carri nected by means of the passages 50 The statlonary combustion through the various passages g Y The heated water, is admitted to the meagre by the piston O of the hydraulic cylinder P- The chainsM have weights Q. When it is desired to withdraw the rings 11*] to provide the clearance for turning the regenerators, a fluid under pressure, such as air or cylinder P and the rings E are turned to withdraw them. After the regenerators have been turned and are again to be employed, the fluid is released from the cylinder P and the weights Q project the rings against the asbestos packings C. The particular connection and means for operating it are only one of a large number of possible ways of forming such substantially leak-proof connection, and it is obvi ous that other specific forms of connections may be used.

The stationary ports 40 and 42 are conand 52 to the uptakes for the gas and air ports 3 and 4, respectively. The stationary ports 44 and 46 are connected by the passages 54 and'56 to the auxiliary slag pocket 7. The stationary port 41 is connected to a gas inlet pipe 51 rovided with a regulating valve 60. port 43 is connected through the passage 53 to a valve ,61 for regulating the admission of air. The stationary ports 45 and 47 are connected through the passages 55and 57 to the usual stack 62.

The arrows on Figure 1 indicate the direction of flow of the air, gas and products of and the regenerators.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows:

Assume, that the parts have the positibn shown in Figure 1 and that the regenerators 11 and 12 have been previously preheated by the outgoing products of combustion. L The regenerating casing having just been turned to the position shown in Figure 1, the fluid is released from the various cylinders P and the several connection rings E are projected a ainst the asbestos packing rings C around t e ports. The gas and air are then ad mitted through the valves 60 and 61. The gas flows in through the port 21 and up- .wardly through the heated brick. checkerwork and out of the port 20 and through the gas fines to the gas port 4. The air enters the port 23, passes upwardly through the checkerwork and out through the port 22 and through the air dues to the air ports 3 of the furnace, where it combines with the gas to support combustion in the furnace. gases of combustion pass out through the outlet port 5, down into the slag pocket 6, where they deposit most of the solid matter, 7, where more of the solid matter will be deposited, and thus through the passages 54 and 56 to the regenerators 13 and 14. The

of combustion enter the heated products at the bottom of the reports 24 and 26 and to the auxiliary slag pocket.

up through the checkergenerators, passing h the regenerator outlet work and out throu ports 25 and 27, t rough the passages 55 and 57 to the stack 62. This flow is maintained for the usual half cycle of operation of the furnace, usually about twenty minutes in open hearth practice, or until the regenerators 11 and 12. have given up the proper amount of heat and the regenerators 13 and 14 have absorbed the heat from the outgoing gases. The valvetO is then closed, the connector rings E are withdrawn, and the regenerators and easing are revolve bodily by means of the power-driven pinion 33. During this time, the flow of gases through the furnace is, of course, interrupted, but the reversal may be made quickly enough so that this is not particularly objectionable. The regenerators are bodily turned through an angle of 180 so that the regenerators 11 and 12 are interchanged in position with the regenerators 14 and 13, respectively. The connecting rings E are then projected, the valve 60 is opened, and the furnace operation is continued through the next" half cycle. After this cycle is completed, say in about twenty minutes, the air and gas are shut off and the re enerators are again turned 180, bringing t em back to their original position, as shown in Figure 1. It will be noted that by turning the regenerators as above described, the air and as have the same direction of travel through the regenerator checkerwork as the combustion products.

The ports 21, 23, 24 and 26, which are located at the bottom of the regenerator casing, are always the inlet ports, the gas, air or products of combustion always entering the regenerative chambers at their bottoms underneath the checkerwork. The air and gas are therefore always introduced into the hottest part of the regenerators. This .conduces to a better preservation and less liability to flux the checker-brick and choke the passages between them. lit also gives av more even temperature to the preheated ases on their leaving the regenerator c ambers from one reversal to the next and therefore, subjects the furnace to less change in temperature and less danger of damage than is the case in the usual operation in which the air and gas are introduced into the coldest end of the regeneratbrs. No reversing valves are required, since the turning of the regenerator provides for the shifting of the connections from one set of regenerators to the other. The connections between the stationary ports and the regenerator ports are always accessible for'inspection, adjustment and repair from the outside. The regenerative chambers are easily accessible at both ends for inspection, cleaning and repairs, by simply turning the regenerator to bring the openings out of line with the stationary flue ports. By turning the regenerator through an angle of about 45, thevarious connec- (ill tions'will be out ch". The cylindrical shape of the casing which holds the regenerative chambers offers a minimum area for the radiation and loss of heat. The cylindrical steel shell prevents leakage of cold air into the regenerative chambers. The air and gas passages to and from the furnace through the regenerative chambers are comparatively traight and older a minimum resistance to While. l have illustrated and specifically described the preferred embodiment of the invention as applied to an open hearth furnace using preheated gas as the fuel, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to its illustrative embodimentbut may be otherwise embodied within the-scope of the following claims.

I claim:

l. The combination with a furnace having uni-directional combustion, of a plural-,.

ity of regenerators, and means for directing the air and combustion products alternately and in the same direction through the regenerators, including means for turning the regenerators bodily about a vertical axis to interchange the regenerators, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a furnace having uni-directional combustion, of a plurality of regenerators mounted togetherv to be bodily turned. about a vertical axis and having ports through their peripheral side walls, stationary ports connected with the inlet and outlet ends of the furnace, and

means for turning the regenerators to connect the regenerator ports with the stationary ports to thereby interchange the connections between the regenerators and the furnace, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a furnacehaving uni-directional combustion, of two regenerators and means for directing the air and combustion products alternately and in the same direction throu h the regenerators, substantially as describei 4. The combination with a furnace having uni-directional combustion, of a casing containing a plurality of regenerators. and mounted to be turned about a vertical axis, said casing having ports through its peripheral side walls connected with the regenerators, stationary ports connected withthe inlet and outlet ends of the furnace and ositioned to be brought into registry with the regenerator ports, and means for turning the casing about its vertical axis to interchange the connections between the regenerator stantia y as described.

5. The combination with a furnace hav: ing uni-directional combustion, of a circular Eorts and the stationary ports, sub-' meagre ing uni-directional combustion, of a circular casing containing a pluralty of regenerators, inlet and ,outlet ports for the regenerators passing through the periphery of the casing near the bottom and top thereof, respectively, a stationary port connected with the intake end of the furnace located opposite the periphery of the casing near the top thereof, a stationary port connected with the outlet end of the furnace located opposite the periphery of the casing near the bottom thereof, an air inlet port located opposite the periphery of the casing near the bottom thereof and a port connected with the stack located opposite the periphery of the casing near the top thereof, and means for turning the casing to bring the regenerator ports into registry with the stationary ports whereby the regenerators may be alternately connected with the inlet and outlet ends'of the furnace, substantially as described;

7. The combination with a furnace having uni-directional combustion, of a circular casing containing a plurality of regenerators, ports through the peripheral wall of the casing at opposite ends thereof connected with the regenerators, stationary ports located opposite one end of the regengenerators having ports, stationary ports connected with the inlet and outlet ends of the furnace, and means for reversing the position of the regenerators and their ports and to connect them with the stationary ports so as to direct the air and combustion products alternately and in the same direction through the regenerators, substantially as described.

9. The combination with a movable regenerator having ports, of stationary ports into registry with which the regenerator ports may be moved, means for making substantially fluid-tight connection between the movable negenerator ports and the stationary ports, yielding means noally maintaining said first mentioned means in operative position, and means for moving inseam said first mentioned means to inoperative position, substantially as described.

10. The combination with a movable regenerator having ports, of stationary ports into registry with which the regenerator ports may be moved, means for making substantially fluid-tight connection between the movable regenerator ports and the stationary ports comprising rings rotatably mounted upon the stationary ports, cam means for moving said rings against the regenerator casing upon rotation of said rings in one direction, means for rotating said rings in throug said direction, and means for rotating said rings in the opposite direction, substantially as described.

11. The method of operating a regenerator which consists in passing the heated products of combustion through the regenerator until it is heated, and thereafter passing the air to be preheated through the regenerator in the same direction as the products of combustion, substantially as described.

12. The method of operating a furnace and its re enerators which consist in passin the heate products of combustion througfi one re%enerator and the air to be preheated another and previously heated regenerator, and periodically interchanging the regenerators and causing the air and products of combustion to how in the same direction through each regenerator, substantially as described.

13. The combination with a furnace having uni-directional combustion, of a circular casing, checkerwork regenerative chamhers enclosed therein, ports through the peripheral wall of the casing at opposite ends thereof and connected with opposite ends of the regenerators, stationary ports arranged to register with the regenera tor ports in the casing and. connected respectively'with inlet and outlet ends of the furnace, and means for periodically turning the. casing through an angle of approximately 180 and thereby interchange the regenerators, substantially as described.

14:. The combination with a furnace having uni-directional combustion, of a circular casing, regenerative chambers enclosed in the casing, ports through the peripheral wall of the casing connected with the regenerators, stationary ports arranged to register with the regenerator ports in the casing and connected with the inlet and outlet ends of the furnace, and means for periodically turning the casing around a vertical axis to thereby interchange the regenerators, substantially as described.

lln testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

BALTZAR E. L. DE Mean. 

